Improvement in street-cars



J. STEPHENSON.

. Street Car. j No. 61,481. Patented Jan. 22.1867.

AM. FHOTO-LITHD-CENN. (ESBORNY! PROCESSJ NITED STATES JOHN STEPHENSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN STREET-CARS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 61,481, dated January 22, 1867.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN STEPHENSON, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improve ments in Hanging Horse or Street Railroad Cars; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the'accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a side view of a car-truck, or the running-gear of a car, constructed and arranged according to my invention; Fig. 2, a

horizontal section of the same, taken in the line a: 11;, Fig. 1; Figs. 3 and 4, detached views,

'version of the loaded car from a direct line of motion causes a violent twitch or jerk, unpleasant to passengers, and injurious to the structure of both car and roadway. My invention is designed to obviate this difiiculty, or relieve it in a great measure; and to this end I form only a pendent connection of the car-body with the truck or carriage on which the body is borne, thereby afi'ording a universal motion, permitting the wheels to assume deviations without immediately affecting the car or its load, as hereinafter fully shown and described.

A represents the lower'part of the car-body or the car-bed, which may be constructed in the usual or any proper manner, and has pedestals B attached to it, two at each side. These pedestals are so formed that their jaws or downward projections a a will not come in contact with the axle-boxes C, but be sufficiently remote from the latter to permit springs D of proper dimensions to be located at each side of the axle-boxes, each jaw a of pedestals being beyond and free from the spring, (see Figs. 1, 3, and 4,) but of such form as to receive the link or pendent bolt, as may be desired.

The method of applying the springs D to the pedestals and axle-boxes may be arranged in various ways, and substantially the same end attained, as will be understood by the following description: E E, Fig. 1, represent links, the lower ends of which are hooked on or attached to the feet or lower ends of the jaws a a of the pedestal. Within these links the springs D are fitted, one in each, the springs being provided at their upper and lower ends with metallic caps I); and through these springs and caps the bolts F pass, the lower ends of the bolts being attached to the lower caps b, and the upper ends hooked on or attached to horns c c, which project laterally from the upper end of a yoke or housing, Gr, fitted on or over the axle-box O, the parts being so arranged as to afford perfect freedom for pendulous vibrations. The upper parts of the links E E bear upon the upper caps b, and the bolts F pass loosely through the upper ends of the links. The links E E may be wholly of metal, or of a non-elastic material; or they may be constructed in com-' bination with an elastic material, or entirely of the latter, in such a manner as to yield or give, under tension, in a vertical or longitudinal direction. The feet or lower ends of the jaws to a of the pedestals are connected by an inverted A*, the stem d of which is nearly in contact with the under side of the axle-box, in order to retain the adjustment of springs and other parts when it becomes necessary to lift the car. In Fig. 4 the springs D have their lower ends resting on the lower parts of the loops H of V form, the upper ends of the inner sides 6 of which are connected with a horizontal bar, f, the latter resting on the top of the axle-box G, and the inner sides 0 fitted in vertical grooves, or between vertical guides, at the sides of the axlebox. On the upper ends of the springs D metallic caps g are fitted, through which and the spring bolts I pass Vertically, the upper ends of the bolts, above the caps 9, having pins h passing transversely through them, and the lower ends of the bolts passing loosely through the lower partsof the jaws a of the pedestals, and having screw-nuts or heads 6 upon them underneath the jaws. In Fig. 3 the lower ends of the springs D rest in cup or socket projections 60*, extending laterally from the lower part of the axle-box at each side; and on the upper ends of the springs there are fitted metallic caps j,- a yoke, J, is also fitted on the axle-box 0, provided with pendants k 7:, to work in vertical grooves, or between guides at the sides of the axle-box, so that the yoke J may rise and fall freely, and be retained in proper position. K K are bolts which pass vertically through the ends of the yoke J, springs D, cups or sockets a and the lower parts of the jaws to of the pedestal, and have screw-nuts or heads I on their lower ends. In Fig. 1 (left-hand side) there are two cups or socket projections, m m, extending laterally from the axle-box, one from each side at its lower end, on whichthe'springs D D rest; and from each side'of the upper part of the axle-box a ring, a, projects laterally, to serve as guides for the springs. Metallic caps 0 are placed on the upper ends of the springs D, through which and the springs D, cups or sockets m, and the lower parts of the jaws a, bolts L pass loosely, the lower ends of the bolts having screw-nuts or heads 19 fitted on them, and the upper ends, above the caps 0, having keys q passing transversely through them.

It will be seen that the same end or result, to wit, a free pendulous vibration of the carbody, is obtained by all these modes of applying the springs, and the arrangement is substantially the same in all; but whichever of the above plans may be adopted, the yoke or housing G is essential, or very advantageous, from the fact that it greatly facilitates repairs, and causes the axle-box to be a separate part, free and independent, and capable of removal without deranging the springs, and connections with pedestals, and the body or carriage part. I propose to insert an elastic substance, b between the yoke or housing and the axle-box, to insure a certain degree of elasticity between said parts.

M represents a truck composed of two parallel bars, 0' r, connected by crossrods s s. The ends of the bars r 1' are secured by bolts t to arms N, which project from the axle-boxes or from the yokes or housing thereon, and are curved, as shown in Fig. 2, to afford ample room or space for the play of the pedestals and springs, in order to securethe universal motion or pendulous vibration of the car-body hitherto alluded to. The side timbers or bars 1' 1' being bolted to the arms N causes the wheels, axles, boxes, and all the connections to be combined into a carriage part, preserving the wheels, axles, and boxes in an adjusted relationship independent of the body. 0 is an arm projecting outward from each axle-box, or from the yoke or housing. These arms are curved at their ends so as to be in line with the wheels, and be of such form as to sustain the brake-clogs. By these means a proper relationship is always preserved between the clogs and the wheels, as the arms 0 are not connected with the body of the car, and consequently not subjected to its vibrations, as hitherto, and the unpleasant noise or jar occasioned by the application of the clogs to the wheels when the former are out of line, or not in a relative position with the latter, avoided.

I am aware that the construction of the truck or running-gear entirely independent of the body of the car is not new; nor is the attachment of the car-body with the truck by means of a pendent connection new. Among the plans for such purpose, I declare my present invention as separate and distinct from that exhibited in the annexed drawing, Fig.

1, a method for which Letters Patent were issued to me April 22, 1833, the parchment for which is now in my possession, signed, An-

drew Jackson, President; Edw. Livingston,

Secretary of State; It. B. Taney, Attorney General of the United States' In this car. the side bars of truck-frames are beneath the springs, a limited elastic and pendent motion being obtained by means of the leather tug B, connected with the short brackets or pedestals, and resting on the box. Neither is my invention the same as described in Fig. 2, and for which Letters Patent No. 44,278 were issued to Alfred Bridges, September 20,1864, which also has the side bars of trucks under the springs, and which method has proved defective, because, among other reasons, the

support was beyond and only at one side of the axle journal-box. The defects are rem edied by my method. Nor does my present invention conflict with the method of Mr. True West, as shown at Fig. 3, and patented (No. 47,143) April 4,1865, which method is a contrivance with steel springs central of the box, objectionably elevating the car, and afiordin g very limited pendulous motion. In this plan, also, the side bars of truck are beneath the springs.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The pedestals B, formed or provided with pendent jaws a a, in combination with springs D, located at each side of the axle box, and applied or arranged in such a man ner as to admit of a universal motion or pen dulous vibration of the car body, substantial 1y as shown and described.

2. The inverted connecting the lower ends of the jaws a a of the pedestals, and a r= ranged or applied in relation with the axleboxes, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The truck M, constructed with its horizontal side bars not under the springs or pendants, but at the sides thereof, and free therefrom, and connected with the axle-boxes O orthe housings G by means of the arms N, substantially as described.

4. The yoke or housing G, with one or both of the arms, as described, and applied to the axle-boxes 0, either with or without the clastic substance b substantially as and for the purpose specified.

5. The clog-arms N and 0, both or either of them, connected with the axle-boxes, or with the yokes or housings G, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

The above specification of my invention signed by me this 11th day of June, 1866.

JOHN STEPHENSON.

Witnesses:

WM. F. MONAMARA, ALEX. F. ROBERTS. 

